


stand still, look pretty

by littledaffodil



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Multi, also voldemort ???, most blood purist characters tbh, somewhat canon compliant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-12-27 12:54:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21119129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littledaffodil/pseuds/littledaffodil
Summary: life for those who were raised as blood purists isn't as glamorous as witch weekly will have you believe.





	stand still, look pretty

_( August, 1964. )_

Our story begins on a muggy, summer evening; the grounds of Malfoy Manor littered with fallen handkerchiefs and ladies' parasols, long forgotten in the wake of festivities. The peacocks began their nightly routines, and the moon began to shine beautifully across the crystal-clear water of the nearby lake. It was a peaceful moment, an extremely rare occurrence in the Wizarding World.

Suddenly, a loud bang from the front door being swung open much too forcefully rang out throughout the property, a flood of giddy children rushing out and immediately disturbing the calm atmosphere. They giggled all the way down into the courtyard, finally coming to a halt once they reached the stone fountain.

"I can't believe you just sneezed on Mrs. Fawley's pâté‑"

"‑And then just ran away!"

Rabastan Lestrange and Amycus Carrow couldn't stop the howls of laughter that escaped their tiny mouths as they recalled what had happened only moments prior, while Rodolphus Lestrange simply stood there and looked pleased with himself. It had been because of this very stunt that all the children fled the large mansion, none too keen on facing the repercussions of what the young Lestrange Heir had done.

The three Black sisters stood opposite where the boys had taken their seats on the edge of the fountain, Lucius Malfoy wandering around lazily while Alecto Carrow jumped up and began walking on the edge, making a point of leaping across the boys' laps.

"Al, I swear to Merlin if you fall in‑" Amycus began, before being interrupted by the annoyed expression that appeared on his sister's face.

Rabastan laughed, shaking his head slowly. "I think that would be even better than the stunt that Dolph just pulled."

"That's because what Dolph did was lame," she replied.

"It was not! It was hilarious, and well-planned!" Rodolphus exclaimed. "And my name is Rodolphus."

Bellatrix Black, ever the brutally honest one, rolled her eyes at the current conversation. "It was absolutely disgusting, that's what it was." A few girlish-agreements followed her statement, though none of the boys seemed to pay much heed to what she had said. "Honestly, I can't believe you lot are the future of our society," she huffed, crossing her arms.

This, for some reason, seemed to have caught the attention of Rodolphus. "What's that supposed to mean?" 

"Seriously, Al, stop playing," Amycus demanded.

"It means you're a disgusting idiot, Dolph," Bella replied sweetly.

"Stop babying me, Amycus!" Alecto huffed, leaping again.

"My name is Rodolphus!"

Before a full-out brawl could ensue, however, a sudden wave of water doused all those that were nearby. interrupting them, every pair of eyes landing on the sheepish-looking figure of Alecto Carrow, who was now sitting in the fountain. "Uh, I slipped‑"

A moment of silence followed the obvious-statement, before the loud sobs of nine-year-old Narcissa Black erupted and started the chaos up all over again.

"Oh, Cissy, please stop crying, it's only a little water," Andromeda Black cooed, trying to calm down her little sister.

"Well this is just bloody great‑"

"Language!"

"‑Now mum is going to give me a flogging because of you, Alecto!"

Alecto stood up from her spot in the lukewarm water, her navy blue dress soaked all the way through while her brown hair lay limp down her back. "Why would you be the one to get the flogging, Amycus?!"

"Mummy spent hours on my hair!" Narcissa cried.

"Because I was supposed to make sure you didn't get into any trouble, Muddy."

"I know Cissy, but we can fix it‑"

"What did you just call me?" Alecto screeched.

"A Muddy, because that's what you're acting like!"

Squeezing the water out of her wild curls, Bellatrix sighed loudly in frustration before she went to work. Turning to her younger sisters, she looked down at Narcissa's swollen little face, mustering up the kindest smile she could. "Cissy, please stop crying. Everyone knows that even if you were bald and wearing a paper bag, you'd still be the prettiest girl in this courtyard." She reached out and brushed away a stray tear, making sure to be as gentle as her hands would let her.

Once Bellatrix was sure that her youngest sister's tantrum was over, she switched her attention to the Carrow siblings, who were still going at it. "Oi, you two!" She waited until they were both looking at her until she spoke again, her lips slightly pursed. "Despite Amycus' childish insults, we are in fact witches and wizards. Hold still, Al‑" She got out her wand and pointed it towards the younger Carrow, squinting her eyes slightly as she tried to remember the spell her own mother had used countless times after the girls' baths.

"Bella, wait. You're not supposed to use magic yet," Andromeda cut in, a worried expression on her pale face. It was true, young Bellatrix Black had not even stepped foot in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry yet, only having just been awarded her very first wand a few weekends ago. Still, that did not stop the curly-haired witch from doing what she thought was best for the situation.

"Oh stop being such a goody-two-shoes, Meda. I'm doing this to help Allie and Amycus, surely mummy and daddy would understand."

"We don't need your help, Bellatrix-"

"Oh shut up, Amycus!"

Andromeda's small figure stiffened slightly with both uneasiness about the situation at hand, as well as fear out of what Bella would do to her if she spoke back again. She did not like the idea of what was about to happen, but surely her sister was smart enough to not perform magic on someone else if she really weren't that experienced. "Go on, then," Andromeda's timid voice prompted.

A satisfied smirk settled onto Bellatrix's plump lips, her long fingers curling around the grip of her new wand. She was excited, to say the least, to finally try out all the new spells she had read about in her father's library; the anticipation of what exactly she was capable of doing to another person finally caught up to her, and the mere idea of having that much power was enough to widen her smug grin. With a deep inhale and the flick of her wrist, Bellatrix Black's mouth finally opened up to utter her very first spell, when something unexpected occurred.

"Bellatrix Cedrella Black, what in Merlin's name do you think you are doing!"

All heads turned to where Druella Black and a select few other disappointed-looking purebloods stood, their lips twisted up into ugly sneers as they gazed upon the assorted children. Bellatrix could feel her power deflating, once radiating through her body like a glowing heat, now as cold as ice. Though she was not a weak little girl, she couldn't help but cower in the sight of her furious mother, placing a wall of curly dark hair in between her own gaze and her mother's.

The night ended with nearly every child earning a scolding, though Bellatrix Black knew far worse would await her once they arrived back at their family manor. As she waited by the door with her two little sisters, Bellatrix longed for the day when she would have complete and utter freedom over what she decided to with that inner power bubbling inside of her.


End file.
